‘We’re over the moon’: The Northampton Community Cafes named finalists in the Weetabix Awards 2022

Four Northampton cafes have been nominated as finalists in the prestigious annual Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink (WNFAD) awards 2022.

The Community Cafe of the Year award, sponsored by The Good Loaf, is a brand new category that has been introduced for this year’s awards in a bid to give recognition to cafes who go above and beyond to support their local communities.

Six Northamptonshire-based cafes have been announced as finalists, with four of them being based in Northampton.

Let’s find out more about them:

Saints Coffee

Saints Coffee is a social enterprise and coffee shop situated in St Giles Street. Founders, Ben and Nicola Francoise, opened their doors in August 2021 and have since launched a host of initiatives to benefit the diverse communities of Northampton.

This includes their weekly Women’s Wellness Walks, their ‘Baristars’ programme to help train people struggling to find employment and their monthly ‘Ukrainians in Northampton’ event to bring refugees and hosts together.

On the coffee shop being nominated as a WNFAD awards finalist, Ben said: “The recognition of bringing people together in the community - that means a lot to me as it is core to what we want to do in the business.

“If you look at the events we run, it is different groups of people from different backgrounds. We have such a diverse group of people in Northampton. It is nice to bring them together.”

Ben told Chronicle & Echo that it would mean a lot to him and the team if Saints Coffee won Community Cafe of the Year.

He continued: “We got through our first year through tough conditions and it would be nice to see that recognised.

“That is not to say we will stop what we are doing if we don’t win because we just believe in it.”

Café Track, Northampton

Cafe Track, situated in the Market Square in Northampton town centre, opened its doors in January 2019. It operates as a social enterprise, which helps people on the autism spectrum into employment.

The cafe is owned by Tom Cliffe, who formerly worked as a teacher for 11 years.

On Cafe Track being named as a WNFAD awards finalist, cafe manager Sharon Measures said: “I am just over the moon. I am so happy just for the team really.

“For everybody, it just shows that - the last four years - we have done something really good after being shut down for two years due to Covid and bringing the team back together.”

Sharon told this newspaper that customer care and teamwork are the most important qualities of a community cafe.

Sharon continued: “We work with people who have autism and aspergers and it’s about getting them out in the community. It has been a very long few years and we make it their purpose to come in even for a few years to do some jobs or socialist and sit down and have a chat with the customers.

“Thank you to whoever nominated us and thank you for all the support we get from our customers and let’s keep it coming.”

The Place To Bee, Kingsthorpe

The Place To Bee, located in Harborough Road in Kingsthorpe, is a cafe and retro sweet shop that is staffed almost entirely by young adults with learning disabilities.

The cafe opened its doors for takeaway services in April 2021 and then officially opened to the public in September 2021 with an Alice In Wonderland themed afternoon tea and a special performance from Britain’s Got Talent finalists, the Born To Perform dance school.

Retail manager, Trudi Daurie - on The Place To Bee being shortlisted for the Community Cafe award - said: “I can’t believe it. We are really excited because we don’t know who nominated us.

“I am really happy for the students because they work so hard and they have worked tirelessly to learn new skills. Some are about to embark on qualifications and, to see that journey from when we opened and to see what they are doing now is just amazing and I am really proud of them.”

As well as the cafe and retro sweet shop, The Place To Bee also has a ‘life skills’ flat above the business, where young adults with learning disabilities can learn basic skills like cooking, washing clothes and making a bed to enable them to be more independent.

Trudi believes that the most important qualities of a community cafe are that it should be a place where people can come individually - or in groups - to feel happy and relaxed. The staff know many of their customers personally.

When Trudi was asked what it would mean for the cafe to win the award, she said: “I would be so happy. I’d feel like I won the lottery basically.

“We really appreciate everyone who supports us locally and in the wider community.”

Cafe 1850

Cafe 1850 is situated on the site of the Northampton Roman Catholic Cathedral in Barrack Road and opened in September 2021.

Operations manager for Café 1850, Richard Beeby, said he is “proud” the cafe has been named as an awards finalist.

Richard added: “Our goal from the outset with the Cathedral Centre and café was to put the community at the heart.”

This has included working with local suppliers including The Little Bakery of Happiness, Yellow Bourbon Coffee Roasters and Booker Catering in addition to welcoming local groups to meet at the cafe such as ‘Parent Meets’.

Cafe 1850 recently provided a host of affordable family activities during the school holidays to help those impacted by the cost of living crisis.

Other finalists named in the community Cafe of the Year category include the Aspen Cafe at the Bosworth Garden Centre and Johnny’s Happy Place in Kettering.

The winners of all WNFAD awards categories will be announced at the awards ceremony and dinner at the Royal & Derngate theatre on October 12.